USPTO Trademark Status Meanings, Explained

Q: What does 'New Application – Record initialized not assigned to examiner' mean?

The application has been filed and accepted into the USPTO system but no examining attorney has picked it up yet. It is the normal waiting state.

Q: How do I check my trademark status?

Enter the serial or registration number at tsdr.uspto.gov and open the Status tab. The Documents tab shows every letter and filing.

TSDR, the USPTO's Trademark Status and Document Retrieval system, shows a status line for every application and registration. The wording isn't written for applicants. "Publication/Registration review complete" and "Report completed suspension check – case still suspended" are internal workflow labels, and each one corresponds to a three-digit status code in the USPTO's published code table.

This guide translates the statuses you're most likely to see, grouped by stage. For each one it says what is happening and whether you need to do anything. Most of the time the answer is no. When the answer is yes, there's a deadline.

Where to Find Your Status

Search your serial or registration number at tsdr.uspto.gov. The Status tab shows the current status, its date and the mark's "live" or "dead" flag. The Documents tab holds every letter the USPTO has sent and everything that has been filed. Above the USPTO's own status line, TSDR also shows a short "TM5 common status descriptor." That's a simplified label shared by the five largest trademark offices, and it's useful when you're comparing files across countries.

If a status looks wrong, or you can't tell what it means, the USPTO says to contact the Trademark Assistance Center.

Waiting for an examiner

Most of the life of a new application is spent here. Nothing is wrong; it is in the queue.

Code	TSDR wording	What it means	What you do
630	New Application – Record initialized not assigned to examiner	Filed and accepted into the system, not yet picked up by an examining attorney.	Nothing. Check that your filing receipt details are right.
638	New Application – Assigned to an examiner	An examining attorney has the file.	Watch your email and TSDR. A first action usually follows.

The examiner has a problem

These are the statuses with a clock attached. Under 37 C.F.R. § 2.62 you have three months to respond to an Office Action in a regular application, and you can buy three more for $125.

Code	TSDR wording	What it means	What you do
640 / 641	Non-final action – counted / mailed	An Office Action has been issued: a refusal, a requirement, or both.	Read it in the Documents tab and respond by the deadline it gives. See our response guide.
661	Response after non-final action – Entered	Your response is on file and waiting for the examiner.	Wait. A new action or an approval comes next.
645	Final refusal – Mailed	The examiner hasn't been persuaded.	Your options are a request for reconsideration or an appeal, within the deadline in the letter.
653 / 654	Suspension letter – Mailed / still suspended	Examination is on hold, usually because an earlier conflicting application has to be decided first.	Usually nothing but wait. The USPTO checks suspended files periodically.

Approved and published

The examiner is satisfied. What is left is the public's chance to object.

Code	TSDR wording	What it means	What you do
680	Approved for publication	The mark passed examination.	Nothing. Publication is scheduled.
681	Publication/Registration review complete	Final checks done before it goes into the Official Gazette.	Nothing.
686	Published for Opposition	The mark is in the Official Gazette. Anyone has 30 days to oppose, or to ask for more time.	Watch for a notice of opposition. Ignore private "publication" invoices: they aren't from the USPTO.
774	Opposition pending	Someone has opposed, and the case is at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.	Respond to the Board by its deadline. This is the moment to involve a lawyer.

Intent-to-use: proving you use the mark

Only applications filed on an intent-to-use basis pass through these. The Notice of Allowance starts a six-month clock.

Code	TSDR wording	What it means	What you do
688	Notice of Allowance – Issued	The mark can register once you prove use.	File the Statement of Use or an extension within six months.
730–734	First to fifth extension – Granted	You have six more months each time, up to 36 months from the Notice of Allowance.	File the Statement of Use, or the next extension, before the new date.
744 / 748	Statement of Use – Filed / To examiner	Your proof of use is being reviewed.	Wait. A specimen problem comes back as an Office Action.
807	Statement of Use – Non-final action – Mailed	The examiner has an issue with the Statement of Use, often the specimen.	Respond by the deadline in the action.
819	Statement of Use – Registration review complete	Accepted. The registration is being prepared.	Nothing.

Registered, and keeping it alive

Registration isn't permanent on its own. It needs filings between years five and six, and every ten years.

Code	TSDR wording	What it means	What you do
700	Registered	The mark is on the Principal or Supplemental Register.	Diary the Section 8 window (fifth to sixth year). See maintenance fees.
701	Section 8 – Accepted	Your declaration of continued use was accepted.	Next stop: the ten-year renewal.
702	Section 8 and 15 – accepted and acknowledged	Continued use accepted and the registration is incontestable.	Next stop: the ten-year renewal.
800	Renewed	The registration was renewed.	The next renewal is due ten years later.

Dead

Some of these can still be rescued, but the windows are short. Dead marks are explained in more depth in our guide to dead trademarks.

Code	TSDR wording	What it means	What you do
602	Abandoned – Failure to Respond	An Office Action deadline passed without a response.	A petition to revive is possible within two months of the notice of abandonment, if the delay was unintentional.
606	Abandoned – No Statement of Use filed	The intent-to-use deadline passed.	The same two-month revival route applies.
601	Abandoned – Express	The applicant withdrew it.	Final.
710	Cancelled – Section 8	No declaration of use was filed, so the registration was cancelled.	A new application, if you still use the mark.
900	Expired	The registration was not renewed.	A new application, if you still use the mark.

How Applications Were Spread Across Statuses

To show where applications actually sit, we counted the status code on 97,045 USPTO records in our snapshot of USPTO bulk data, which is current to early June 2026. These are the most common codes:

Code	Status	Records	Share
630	New application, not yet assigned to an examiner	57,916	59.7%
681	Publication/registration review complete	13,792	14.2%
700	Registered	4,000	4.1%
680	Approved for publication	3,129	3.2%
638	Assigned to an examiner	2,454	2.5%
641	Non-final Office Action mailed	2,212	2.3%
800	Renewed	2,176	2.2%
819	Statement of Use accepted, registration being prepared	1,094	1.1%
661	Response to Office Action entered	1,061	1.1%
730	First Statement of Use extension granted	909	0.9%
702	Section 8 and 15 accepted	831	0.9%
688	Notice of Allowance issued	660	0.7%
602	Abandoned, no response to an Office Action	589	0.6%

Those 13 codes cover 93.6% of the records. The snapshot holds 80 different codes in total, and 13 of them, used by 523 records, aren't in the USPTO's published table at all, so TSDR may show wording this guide doesn't cover.

The shape of the table reflects what's in our snapshot, which is weighted towards recent filings. That's why "waiting for an examiner" dominates. It isn't a picture of the whole register, and the shares are our calculations, not USPTO statistics. For outcomes over time, see our report on how 2024 applications ended.

Statuses That Look Alarming but Aren't

"Suspended." Usually means an earlier application for a similar mark has to be decided first. It isn't a refusal, and it can last months.
"Publication/Registration review complete." A routine last check before publication or registration. It was the second most common status in our snapshot.
"Response after non-final action – entered." Your response arrived. It says nothing about whether the examiner accepted it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "New Application – Record initialized not assigned to examiner" mean?

Your application has been filed and accepted into the USPTO's system, but no examining attorney has picked it up yet. It's the normal waiting state, and you don't need to do anything.

How do I check my trademark status?

Enter your serial or registration number at tsdr.uspto.gov and open the Status tab. The Documents tab shows every letter and filing in the file.

Which statuses have a deadline?

A non-final Office Action (three months, extendable by three for $125), a final refusal, a Notice of Allowance (six months to file the Statement of Use or an extension), and an opposition before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Sources

Status wording is from the USPTO's published status code table; the snapshot shares are our calculations from USPTO bulk data, not USPTO statistics. Links checked 10 November 2026.

What Your USPTO Trademark Status Means, and What to Do Next